Alexander McQueen found dead at his home

The British fashion industry lost one of its brightest stars yesterday with the apparent suicide of Alexander McQueen, who was found hanged at his Central London home.The designer, 40, had been grieving over the death of his mother, Joyce, who died on February 2. He had been due to attend her funeral today. The loss of one of the most commercially successful and respected British designers has cast a pall over next week’s London Fashion Week. Friends said that he had been under pressure to complete his autumn/winter women’s wear collection for next month’s launch in Paris. One of his lines, McQ, was due to be shown at New York Fashion Week yesterday but was cancelled. The designer was also known to be upset that a recent relationship had ended.